


the space between heartbeats

by blackhawkdown



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, written for the zutara angst challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26435557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackhawkdown/pseuds/blackhawkdown
Summary: What if Yon Rha wasn't as weak as he appeared?
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 70
Collections: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zutara Angst Challenge





	the space between heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Zutara Angst Challenge we ran in a discord server I'm in--the goal being to try to make each other cry in 500 words or less. I think I cried just having to cut this down to under 500 words. I'm not exactly good at being _concise_ , so I'm not sure if I even succeeded at the angst bit, but this is what I managed to come up with. I hope some of you enjoy it!

There are times, in any given life, where the _present_ hangs precariously, perched on a razor’s edge—caught between two possible futures. There comes a choice, and then there are consequences, and eventually the world continues to turn.

There is no stopping the forward march of time, after all. No rewriting history.

And things that break cannot always be repaired.

But there is a _moment_. The space between heartbeats, where time slows to a crawl and eternity holds its breath, waiting for that decision to be made. Perhaps that is what Katara felt as a chill ran down her spine that could not be blamed on the much warmer rain pouring down around her.

Yon Rha lay on the ground behind them, broken and pathetic, and not at all what she’d expected to face on this journey. It was almost a relief—something Katara would have to examine later, though Aang’s suggestion of _forgiveness_ still burned in the back of her throat, acrid and vile and _impossible_ —and, in the end, she’d chosen not to kill him. She hadn’t _needed_ to.

It would have been entirely too merciful, and not worth the stain on her soul.

And so time marched forward, but Katara stopped, frozen stiff. At her side, Zuko glanced at her and paused, unsure if he should ask, or simply wait.

And then he saw the fireball.

There wasn’t even time for a shouted warning—he _shoved_ , and she fell to the ground just in time to see Zuko blown back.

She watched, helpless, as he hung in the air for a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity—her eyes widened, hand outstretched, as if she could stop him from colliding with the jagged rock in his path by sheer strength of will.

With the force of a tidal-wave, the moment passed, and time picked up speed. Zuko’s name tore from her throat in a scream that barely sounded human.

“You really thought, after that display, that I’d just let you _leave_?”

Something shattered, deep in her chest. Katara didn’t even glance back at the old man as she surged to her feet, one hand circling through the air—a spear of ice formed and slid home in Yon Rha’s chest, pinning him to a nearby tree.

Katara didn’t care.

“ _Zuko_!” She fell to her knees beside him, water coating her hands immediately. Already, she knew there was too much blood. That bit of rock may as well have been a dagger.

“Hey…” His voice was soft, and weak, and a sob shook her shoulders when she realized the healing wasn’t working. “You’ll… you’ll be ok.”

Katara shook her head. “Don’t talk like that! I can-”

“Stop.” Blue eyes met gold, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. “I just… want you to know… I’m sorry. For everything…”

His eyes slid shut, and Katara’s sobs echoed across the cliffs, pleas and promises of forgiveness ignored—the world kept spinning.

It never stopped.


End file.
